Wooden iPad Cover Bends, Sticks and Supports

Miniot's wooden iPad 2 cover mixes old style and new tech

Some said that Apple’s Smart Cover would kill the third-party case market. When I first saw the neat magnetic cover, I thought the opposite — that case-makers would go crazy with cool ways to use the magnets inside the iPad 2. And here’s the first really clever take I have seen: a wooden cover from Dutch company Miniot.

The picture above is awful, so I recommend watching the video. The cover is a thin sheet of cherrywood scored with grooves so that it can roll. On the inside face is a plush, soft layer to cushion the screen, and there are magnets to hold the cover to the iPad’s spine, and also to activate the screen-lock.

The clever part is its hingeless design, making it even more minimal than Apple’s own cover. Magnets are in the edge of the cover itself. To use it as a stand, you first roll (not fold) the cover back, and then swing it around to the iPad’s rear. Thus positioned, it can hold the iPad up for movie-watching, or down almost flat for typing.

Best of all, the case is cheap. At just €50, it is €20 less than Apple’s leather cover. If you’re importing into the U.S, it’s not quite so good, translating to 71 of your U.S dollars. Available, apparently, from today.